Category 5 Hurricane Maria left total devastation on Puerto Rico (population 3.5 million) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (population 107,000). A huge humanitarian crisis is looming. Only one cell phone tower remains working in Puerto Rico. A major dam is on the verge of collapse. On Sunday the governor dispatched runners to seek contact with at least two dozen towns and villages because there is no power and roads are impassible to vehicular traffic. People are running out of food, water, and fuel for generators.

After a week, federal response is beginning to trickle into the area. Puerto Rico needs a massive influx of federal aid, and it needs this aid quickly.

How is the federal government responding? After spending the weekend berating athletes for holding peaceful and lawful protests, Pres. Trump finally made a statement Monday evening, talking about Puerto Rico’s ongoing debt crisis. In a series of tweets, he effectively blamed islanders—our fellow Americans—for the disaster. In Congress, discussions on an aid package are being held. The Guardian reports (9/26/2017) that the “Trump administration has also refused to waive federal restrictions on foreign ships carrying life-saving supplies to Puerto Rico—a concession it readily made for Texas and Florida [after] hurricanes Harvey and Irma.”

Tell your reps our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands need a robust federal aid package, and to support Rep. Nydia Velazquez’s bill asking for a waiver to the Jones Act, making shipping to Puerto Rico cheaper and easier. We need both this week. Then drop us an email at mikefox@pdamerica.org and let us know how your calls went.

Thank you so much for your help. Our fellow citizens desperately need it.

1 Comment

Kimberly Cooper
on September 27, 2017 at 2:11 pm

I left a message on Senator Mario Rubio’s phone. (He never has anyone to answer his phone.) I called and spoke to people in the office of Representative Charlie Crist and Senator Bill Nelson. I told them that Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands people are Americans and that we need to send the National Guard, food, fuel, etc. now. It has been days since the hurricane, and our lack of helping them is horrid. They should have gotten help within hours if the hurricane. We shouldn’t have to wait for politicians to get together and agree on giving aid.